OpenAI Launches Stargate Community Plan to Offset Energy Costs and Support Local Power Infrastructure 
Elon Musk Seeks $134 Billion in Lawsuit Against OpenAI and Microsoft Over Alleged Wrongful Gains 
Google Seeks Delay on Data-Sharing Order as It Appeals Landmark Antitrust Ruling 
Zhipu AI Launches GLM-Image Model Trained on Huawei Chips, Boosting China’s AI Self-Reliance Drive 
TikTok Expands AI Age-Detection Technology Across Europe Amid Rising Regulatory Pressure 
Microsoft Strikes Landmark Soil Carbon Credit Deal With Indigo Carbon to Boost Carbon-Negative Goal 
TSMC Shares Hit Record High as AI Chip Demand Fuels Strong Q4 Earnings 
China Halts Shipments of Nvidia H200 AI Chips, Forcing Suppliers to Pause Production 
U.S. Lawmakers Raise Alarm Over Trump Approval of Nvidia AI Chip Sales to China 
China’s AI Models Narrow the Gap With the West, Says Google DeepMind CEO 
Global DRAM Chip Shortage Puts Automakers Under New Cost and Supply Pressure 
Taiwan Issues Arrest Warrant for OnePlus CEO Over Alleged Illegal Recruitment Activities 
China Considers New Rules to Limit Purchases of Foreign AI Chips Amid Growing Demand 
Anthropic Appoints Former Microsoft Executive Irina Ghose to Lead India Expansion 
U.S.–Taiwan Trade Deal Spurs $500 Billion Semiconductor Investment in America 
Publishers Seek to Join Lawsuit Against Google Over Alleged AI Copyright Infringement 
The Activision Blizzard bosses have great news for gamers eagerly waiting for “World of Warcraft: Shadowlands.” They recently confirmed that the expansion is slated to launch later this year.
‘World of Warcraft: Shadowlands’ release date
Blizzard is not a stranger to missing important deadlines, and what happened to “Warcraft 3: Reforged” is a good case in point. Additionally, it is understandable for some fans to worry about the “World of Warcraft: Shadowlands” release date, especially as video game companies adjust to work-from-home arrangements due to coronavirus over the previous months.
The good news is the company assured fans that its employees had adjusted well to the new work setup. This could mean that the development timeline of upcoming IPs, including “World of Warcraft: Shadowlands,” are virtually unaffected by the pandemic.
Activision Blizzard President Daniel Alegre admitted, during their Q1 2020 earnings call, that the changes still pose other challenges in terms of creating the expansion. “Although the shift to remote working does add complexity and challenges in some areas of the game development process, including creative collaboration, motion capture, voiceover work, localization, and quality assurance,” he explained.
Meanwhile, Blizzard Entertainment President J. Allen Brack offered more good news and confirmed, “Shadowlands is on track to launch in Q4 of this year.” He also revealed that closed alpha testing has already started in April, where “select players” were chosen to participate.
Blizzard is likely to open the closed beta to more players once the expansion reaches a more stable state and nearing its full release. There is no guarantee for any players to be selected, but they can take a chance by registering for the beta program using their Battle.net accounts. Only those who will receive email invites can join the closed beta.
‘World of Warcraft: Shadowlands’ pre-purchase sales are up
The gaming industry is the one business that still saw positive scenarios amid the coronavirus pandemic. The health crisis has forced governments to impose stay-at-home guidelines from community quarantines to total lockdowns. This meant that people had more time to play video games.
Brack confirmed that traffic generated by western players for the modern “World of Warcraft” increased in March as well as the “Classic” title. Overall, the company confirmed that this contributed to “strong pre-sales” for “Shadowlands.”
